The Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO) and the May Festival Youth Chorus (MFYC) will perform a rare combined concert 4 p.m. Sunday, February 21 a Mother of God Church in Covington, Kentucky. As the highlight of the concert, these two ensembles, both considered the top tier music ensembles for youth in Greater Cincinnati, will together perform Mozart’s luminous Regina Coeli. The performance opens with a CSYO Brass Quintet performing a work by Bach, followed by the MFYC performing works by Bach, Mozart and Hassler conducted by MFYC Director James Bagwell. Then the full CSYO, under the baton of Conductor Gene Chang, will perform music by Brahms and Mendelssohn. The program concludes with the Regina Coeli. The concert is free and open to the public.
Additionally, the CSYO will perform its annual spring concerts at Northern Kentucky University’s Greaves Hall. The CSYO Philharmonic (grades 9-12) will perform at 7 p.m., while the CSYO Concert Orchestra (grades 7-12) will perform at 3 p.m. at the same venue. The CSYO Philharmonic will perform Prokofiev’s popular Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Rimsky-Korsakov’s romantic Scheherazade, and the first movement of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto featuring soloist Emma Burge. The CSYO Concert Orchestra performance at 3 p.m. will feature Bea Baker, CSYO Philharmonic violinist and winner of the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, performing Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 by Pablo de Sarasate. This solo performance is another rare and memorable opportunity for a student musician to perform virtuoso repertoire with a full orchestra.
The CSYO Concert Orchestra performance is free and open to the public. Tickets to the CSYO Philharmonic performance are just $10 ($5 for students and children) and are available through the CSO Box Office or by visiting www.cincinnatisymphony.org/csyo.
